Midwest Living Review

The Potosi Brewery ranks as one of the brewing world's coolest comeback stories. Founded in 1852, the brewery grew to be Wisconsin's fifth-largest until closing in the 1970s. A developer bought the buildings in the late 1990s, established a private foundation, gained community support, and finally reopened the brewery in 2008, complete with two museums and a full-service restaurant. The complex manages to feel old and new at the same time; you almost forget that it was shuttered for three decades.For $7, visitors can see the National Brewery Museum's thousands of pieces of beer memorabilia (trays, bottle openers and the like). The ticket includes a free half-pint sample after the tour, but casual visitors will be satisfied with just seeing the free Potosi Brewing Company Transportation Museum on the first floor. It includes plenty of old bottles and cans, plus fascinating videos about the brewery's history on the Great River Road. A gift shop sells fun T-shirts, plus beer and other souvenirs.Few people skip a meal or drinks in the polished-wood restaurant and landscaped beer garden. The menu offers tasty pub grub, including crispy wings ($6.95) and a pork tenderloin glazed in root beer ($16.95). And, this being Wisconsin, a Friday-night fish fry ($10.95) also attracts crowds.